Officers stand by a display of confiscated drugs in Sydney, Australia. (Rick Rycroft)

(Newser)
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In one of the biggest drug busts in Australian history, law enforcement agencies discovered $1.26 billion Australian dollars ($900 million US) worth of methylamphetamine hidden in imported boxes of silicone bra inserts and art supplies, officials say. Four Hong Kong passport holders were arrested in Sydney last month over the import from China of 190 gallons of the drug, commonly known in Australia as ice, police said in a statement. The liquid could have made about 1,100 pounds of high-grade crystal meth, authorities say.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the operation used information gathered through new cooperation between Australian Federal Police and China's National Narcotics Control Commission, which established a joint task force in November to investigate criminal syndicates trafficking meth. "This largest seizure of liquid methylamphetamine to date is the result of organized criminals targeting the lucrative Australian ice market from offshore," Keenan told reporters on Monday. The four will appear in a Sydney court next month charged with importing and manufacturing commercial quantities of illegal drugs. Each suspect faces a potential life sentence if convicted.